Today's Girl Scout Cookie recipe is: Mint Delight 1 pkg. of Thin Mint cookies (crushed) 3 tbsp. butter or margarine (melted) 1 pkg. (8 oz.) softened cream cheese 2 pkgs. (8 oz. size) instant chocolate pudding 3 cups milk 4 cups whipped topping Combine cookies with melted butter or margarine, (save 1/4 cup of cookies for topping). Press cookie mixture on bottom of 13" x 9" pan. Chill. Combine cream cheese with 1 cup whipped topping. Spread over cookie mixture. Chill for 15 to 20 minutes. Prepare pudding with 3 cups of milk and pour over cream cheese mixture. Chill for 1 hour or until ready to serve. Top with remaining whipped topping and Thin Mint cookie crumbs.

Good news: I measured 30 weeks and the baby is head down. Bad news: I failed my gestational diabetes test.

Tip for clueless husbands: Don't start the day by telling your wife that her belly is HUGE.

The handles to our walking sticks. My stick is the one without beads. This was such a fun Girl Scout project. Much better than the stress of cookie booths that start on Wednesday. 

This was the hardest item to find for our project.. 

This is the base of our Girl Scout project. 

Because I watch too much tv - If CSI is on, it must be Monday. If Scrubs is on, it must be Tuesday. If Lost and CSI are on, it must be Wednesday. If CSI is on, it must be Thursday. If Monk is on, it must be Friday. If a movie is on, it must be Saturday. If Boston Legal is on, it must be Sunday. On the other hand - If Tommy has therapy, it must be Monday. If Sarah has student council, it must be Tuesday. If Sarah has Art Club, it must be Wednesday. If Noah has Boy Scouts and Tommy has horse lessons, it must be Thursday. If Tommy is with the grandparents, it must be Friday. If Sarah has Girl Scouts, it must be Saturday. If the small children are at church, it must be Sunday. Isn't that how everyone knows what day it is?

If Southerners are all heavily armed, why is it so hard to find a dozen used brass casings from a shotgun? The broom handles are turning out to be difficult to find too. We're getting everything else on my supply list from Greene's military surplus. Saturday's Girl Scout meeting will be fun if we can just find the missing items. We'll make a sample tonight and post the picture. Update: We have all the supplies and are working on the demo piece. Why didn't anyone question WHAT we're doing with such an odd supply list?

Doug and I spent today trying to find inexpensively - 360 feet of parachute cord, a dozen new wood handles that are used for brooms or mops and a dozen used brass casings from a shotgun. I need it all before Saturday so guess what we are doing again tomorrow? The best part is explaining to people that I need it all for Girl Scouts.

Michael has an excellent summary and thoughts on last night's episode of Lost. I wasn't surprised about the firestarter. Remember the dead bird? That fire could have started without him even being near the boat. I really dislike Shannon being with Sayid. Sayid will only get drug down by her. I am still trying to figure out why Hurley was on tv. I think the show is doing great and look forward to seeing how they end the season. I find it funny that Stephen King had negative comments about the show. Has Mr.King forgotten how Kingdom Hospital started off great and then fell apart completely after only a few episodes?

Is there a 12-step program for CSI addiction?

Knoxville thinks they can reduce crime by requiring owners and employees of adult-type businesses to register and carry special permits. Putting aside the fact that we live in the age of Big Brother and everything you do leaves footprints, this is a bone-headed idea. Do we really want to punish someone working their way through college by making them have everything in their career history follow them forever? After this will we ask anyone who works in food service to register and allow someone to track their medical history to make sure they have no illnesses that make us nervous? Then what? Knoxville's law has very little to do with crime and a lot to do with the morals police. Skip all the harassment and just move right ahead to outlawing adult businesses if that is your intention. I just find it hard to believe that crimes with victims are so low that we must now worry about what people choose to do to themselves.

Knoxville media has something about "meth" in every single newscast. Someone is wanted or has been arrested for meth use or production. A store has a new policy about selling items that are used by meth manufacturers. The law enforcement in some county has a new technique for fighting meth crimes. It goes on and on. Do you hear about it endlessly in other areas of the country? Is it talked about in other countries? What I don't understand are "mobile meth labs". As I understand it, meth production is highly explosive and toxic, so why would you make it in an enclosed vehicle that is moving? It's hard enough to put on mascara in a car, why make your car into an explosive?

After whining for weeks that I only have one pair of pants which are comfortable, Doug and I finally found the box of my missing maternity clothes. I am happy to finally have something to wear, but I had forgotten how UGLY maternity clothes look. Who designs these things?

I'm hungry. 

Last night was the cookie booth lottery for this area. One hundred women competing to get signed up for the best booth locations in West Knoxville. It was like the floor of the stock exchange only much more random and ruthless. Our troop was pretty much shut-out of the entire first weekend. What our troop really needs is one of those celebrity or corporate purchases of huge quantities of cookies that I hear about other scouts getting. Urban legends abound about Nashville music celebrities buying several cases for donation to charity (our troop is collecting for Ronald McDonald House). I know a few executives but they are all in the non-profit sector so that won't help. Must brainstorm, hmmm. . .

Andrea Knapp has the Dr.Pepper commercial that I like so much. Now the song is a commercial jingle for my children's generation. It was a song on the Muppets for my generation. For my parents' generation (but not MY parents) it was the soundtrack to an adult film. I think I prefer to remember it with puppets singing.

What does it mean if you dream that someone mailed you several cans of biscuit dough? The cans had popped and were clearly ruined because they hadn't been kept refrigerated. Maybe it just means I was hungry last night.

Newsweek is devoting an issue to Autism this month. MSNBC (look at the programming guide on the right side of the page) and NBC news shows like the Today show and Nightly News are doing extensive pieces on Autism. The CDC has an early intervention campaign on Autism diagnosis and treatment. The Today show's resource page even lists a few blogs as potential sources of information (scroll down the page). Will Autism Awareness Month in April get this kind of publicity?

I wonder if Amy is spending too much time with Molly. 

Why is it that whether I've been watching my stomach wiggle and bounce like claymation for just 5 minutes or half an hour, as soon as I call Doug my stomach becomes still?

West Town Mall questions - Why does the West Town Mall parking garage stairwells and theater elevator smell like urine? Do you wait your turn or go find another family restroom when there is a childless couple in it? The Parisian ladies' room has soft sofas. Does the men's room? Why do the girls' dresses skip from cute to teen around size 8?

My grandmother had another "episode" and is back in the hospital until she is eating again. As always, her confusion comes and goes but when she is less lucid she picks at things. She picks at her IV, she picks at her oxygen and she picks at her gown. My father went to visit her this morning and she was trying to pick off her hospital bracelet. He explained to her what it was (in child-like terms I'm sure). Her deadpan response was "Well I'd better keep it on for when I forget who I am." My father had to leave the room to laugh.

According to Gone to the Dogs I am a Shetland Sheepdog. What kind of dog are you? Link from The Presurfer .

Even though I "retired" when Amy was born, I still coordinate the planning and production of an event every May at the zoo for Children's Mental Health Week. I understand the people on the coalition who are confused by my presence since they are there for their jobs and networking. I frequently ask myself why I am there when I have other things I should be doing. I understand but don't enjoy the person on the coalition whose only contribution is to complain and criticize. I neither understand nor appreciate the people with jobs who could do this during their working hours saying that they are just too busy to do anything. I had more free time during the day when I was working than I ever do now (ducking head to avoid the flaming looks from tired, hard-working readers). I love and adore the people who just do what they can and trust that things will work out fine. Those people make it all fun and worthwhile. They turn what could be a stressful day of hard work on a hot summer day into an enjoyable and pleasant day spent with friends just before our baby is born.

It's a beautiful day and you want to take the family to the park. You can go to the dog park where the dog happily romps with other dogs while the owners all compliment each others' pets. However, the children are not allowed on the equipment and end up sitting on a bench playing handheld electronics. You can go to one of the very nice parks around town where the children can play on the equipment and interact with other children. However, the huge black German Shepherd puppy frightens all the other parents and isn't allowed on the soft playground surface which confuses the sweet but rambunctious puppy who likes children so very much. What do you do?

Lost is on tonight so let's get everyone bathed, fed and tucked into bed. Noah has a headache so he has gone on to bed. One down, three to go. Tommy's fish tank is leaking and we need to clean up all this water. Noah just threw up all over his bed and floor. Noah's cleaned up and the fish tank water is cleaned up but we will have to do more with the tank after the show. Amy just peed all over her high chair. Why was she eating dinner naked? Because she refused to get dressed after her bath. Amy is cleaned up and everyone is in bed for now. The show has started. Now Tommy is up and complaining like he wants to argue for an hour. Ignore it. Back to the show and wait for more chaos.

I thought Molly was the only dog who does this. Dog Eat Doug is the best! 

It's fun to watch Westminster and see the breeds that you so rarely see in person. The dogs are all so well-trained and carefully bred that they are like works of art. Then they'll do something totally unexpected like jump up and kiss their handler or let out a few happy barks and you are reminded that they are still the dogs that we all know and love. When the dog freezes in the most beautiful statuesque but breed specific way it is like watching art and sports and your heart melts for these amazing dogs. I think everyone watching knew that the German Shorthaired put on the very best performance last night. Way to go Carlee!

Amy and Molly are both full of mischief today. Mommy needs chocolate.

I like all the hounds, but Bloodhounds just feel like a piece of Americana. Most of the dogs I have owned in my life are in the herding group. Our current four-legged family member, Molly (German Shepherd) is in this group. When I was in college my Mother bought a Border Collie for me and that smart but trouble-making dog stayed with me until I moved back to Knoxville in 1997 when she was put down. I still get excited whenever I see a Border Collie and luckily they are a fairly popular breed in the south. I'll post my feelings about the winner of Best in Show tomorrow.

The sporting group dogs are all so beautiful and full of personality that I always cheer for the winner. The German Shorthaired Pointer is a wonderful dog and when the dog strikes a pose during showing you just have to get excited. If a Golden Retriever ever wins this group the crowd is going to go wild with joy. So far, all but one of the Best in Show finalists are certain to bring tears to my eyes.

My ear made a big pop noise and now it feels like I'm in a tunnel only instead of the whooshing of traffic I can hear my pulse in my ear. Please tell me this means I'm getting better and will finally be able to breathe through my nose when I lie down. I wouldn't mind getting rid of the cough that makes my chest rattle like a broken squeakie toy either.

I have 50 Gmail invites. Anybody out there still need one? or ten?

I know Julie is going to bop me over the head with a dust mop (cause that's what the dog looked like) but when the Pekinese won the toy group I found it about as exciting as a guinea pig. I like guinea pigs, I just don't get all excited about them. The non-sporting group surprised me when they chose the Tibetan Terrier. What a cool dog! Doug tried to watch the non-sporting group with me but he drifted off to sleep and didn't even wake up when I cheered for the winner. I love the three groups being judged tonight. The judges all look beautiful this year.

I would hate to judge the terrier group. Every dog out there is a cutie. The Norfolk was just adorable. I'm going to finish the show in bed and may not blog again until morning. The toy group is strutting their stuff right now. I usually take a break from the show during this group because I'm really not a tiny dog fan and the winner in this group is so frequently a poodle. I like the non-sporting group but it's not much fun to watch when they almost always pick a poodle in that group also. A snarky comment about clothing at Westminster. This is a very prestigious event and you should be dressed up but your outfit should not draw attention away from your dog. You should not blend in with your dog either. I am a huge fan of comfortable shoes, but I wouldn't go on national television in an expensive suit or beautiful dress wearing ugly shoes. For all the money you've spent on your dog, allow a little to buy yourself some comfortable shoes that are still fashionable. Oh, please don't wear a white slip under a lovely black dress with a slit up the back. Buy a black slip!

The Great Pyrenees is a beautiful choice from one of my favorite groups at Westminster but I really like it when the dog lets his personality show. The Great Dane was just so happy to be there.

"Let me get this straight, you've got a WHAT in there?" 

Julie posted a list of heartbreak songs. I think I'll start a list of my favorite love songs. Right off the top of my head I can think of: Years From Now by Dr.Hook Could I Have This Dance by Anne Murray

Movies that should have soundtracks:

• Fandango
• Made in Heaven

I'm not in the mood for any more serious stories right now so here's a recent story. One day last week I umm, well, I tooted. It made a funny, high-pitched noise and although Noah didn't even react, Amy spun her head around and asked "Did the baby do THAT?"

Inspired by Kristy's very courageous blog entry I'll tell a story that I almost NEVER tell only because I want to eventually make a point. When I was 14 I was still a straight A student who rarely got in trouble while my peers were all messing with inhalants (locker room), smoking, drinking and breaking their septums to spit blood (Kiss was still very big). I desperately wanted to feel liked instead of invisible. One weekend evening I was spending the night at my best friend's house. She was the youngest of seven and her older siblings and parents were all out drinking at clubs. We sat around smoking cigarettes and improving our ability to actually inhale. At some point my friend went to bed and I was left watching tv when her 20-something older brother came home, very intoxicated. He almost immediately leaned over and kissed me. I felt honored to be getting attention from him. He very quickly started moving my clothing out of the way and climbing on top of me. I was terrified. Pushing, hitting and scratching had no effect on his determination. What followed was painful, unpleasant and very confusing. When I grew exhausted from fighting him, I decided to just go limp, close my eyes and take myself someplace else. It made no difference to him. When he finished after what seemed like forever, he put his finger to his lips and made a frightening face to me that let me know I had better not discuss what happened. Immediately after I blamed myself since I allowed the kiss to happen and that must have given him permission. Over time I rationalized and mixed things up even more in my head. I decided that it was what was expected and fighting it only hurt. I changed as a person and a student. I dated men much older than myself, stopped caring about school and seriously disappointed my parents. It took me a lifetime to see clearly what happened that night and stop taking all of the blame on myself. The point of this long story is that when you see statistics on sexual assaults, know that MOST assaults are never reported.

A recurring theme I heard when public speaking about mental illness was disbelief. There are a lot of people out there who question why so many people are being diagnosed with mental health issues. They believe our society has gotten weak and desperate for happy pills to make everything rosy. I disagree for many reasons. In the past people with mental health issues were hidden away in attics, lobotomized, locked in asylums and beaten to death. They were also ignored. My mother's father was a career Navy man. His work kept him away for months and longer. He was in the Pacific Ocean when my mother was born and didn't even know she had been born until she was a few months old. A few years later my grandmother had a baby boy who came very early. He lived for only a few days. I can only imagine the emotions my grandmother felt when doctors told her that the Polio which she thought she had defeated had actually damaged her body so much that she should not have any more children. In the years that followed, my grandmother had a lot of accidents. She accidentally fell off a two story retaining wall on their San Francisco military base. She accidentally took entire bottles of pills. Nobody in the family talked about her accidents and doctors certainly didn't question the accidents. My grandmother spent her life having anxiety attacks and battling depression. She spent her later years increasingly isolating herself from the world. She is now in a nursing home with a diagnosis of dementia. I can't help but wonder if she wouldn't have lived a happier life if only she had been given medication and good therapy. I know it wouldn't have stopped the dementia but I do believe she would have been lucid for longer. I think she would have been inspired to try and maintain her focus instead of reveling in the escapism of memory loss and confusion. I know my mother wouldn't have felt so alone and helpless if she had been allowed to have a healthy mother. The human mind is just as delicate as the human body. It requires care, compassion and frequently, help with healing. There have always been mental illnesses but we are just beginning to learn about how to treat them.

I think I'll tell 3 dark and moody stories this story-telling weekend so that next week I can have sugary sweet anecdotes and pictures of the children. Besides, I plan to blither on and on about the wonderfulness of the Westminster Dog Show next week.

I wonder if the US government set loose three different biological illnesses in three different ways and are sitting back watching how quickly they move through the population to decide how they are going to make biological attacks on Iran or Korea. I must still be feverish.

I am tired of the sickness in this house so today the youngest two are visiting the pede. Cross your fingers that we don't get any new germies in the pede waiting room. Amy is thrilled to have Noah home to entertain her all day. She cries and complains when Sarah leaves for school every morning. "No school Sarah. Don't go." I silently do the same thing every time Doug leaves the house. Update - Noah and Amy both have ear infections but Noah's also has a bacteria that causes pneumonia. If we hadn't started him on Zithromax today the doctor believes Noah would have been a very sick little boy by Monday.

"That's part of your problem, you haven't seen enough movies. All of life's riddles are answered in the movies."

Amy and I got bundled up and rode along for Doug's errands today. Now he's heading off to lead Boy Scouts which always makes him nervous. I don't know why it scares him, there's nothing those boys can throw at him which would compare to the dramas he resolves at home. Tomorrow he has an appointment in the morning and a haircut in the afternoon. Saturday he has the Pinewood Derby workshop. Any good ideas for an easy Pinewood Derby car? Last year Noah's car looked like SpongeBob.

Yes, I have windows in my head or more specifically, on the apple of my cheeks. When I was a child and teen my Mother worked for an otolaryngology group in Memphis. Staff could have any test or treatment for just what insurance would pay and the rest was written off. So, every time anyone in the family had the sniffles, a head ache or just about any complaint that could vaguely be traced to their area of expertise, we had an appointment with them. They cauterized my nose every time I had the least little nosebleed. When my Mother complained about my migraines they ordered a CAT scan. When I had strep they took out my tonsils and when I had sinus infections they cut windows in my sinus cavities. I still get sinus infections but this is the first time I have ever been confident that the windows have infection. My entire face is so sore that it hurts to sleep on my side while my stomach is round enough that the rest of my body really wants on my side. All of that aside, I wish my Mother had worked for a plastic surgeon or dermatologists. I would have enjoyed the long-term effects of their procedures much more.

Who will die tonight on Lost? Ethan or Charlie? Update: Unless you TIVO you already know the answer to this question now. If they spent the next few seasons killing everyone off the show, I see Jack, Kate and Locke as being the last left standing. In fact, realistically, Kate should outlive Jack. Short-term though I guess Jin (Sun's husband), Charlie, Hurley (I like him, but what's his purpose) or Boone are the characters who have the least to add to future subplots. I still WANT Shannon to die. Her character is horrible and unredeemable while we all know that Sawyer will redeem himself before they kill him.

I'd really like to breathe through my nose again. 

If Molly brings me a roll of tissue does she want to play fetch or go outside?

Except for ear pain and congestion that makes me feel like I am in a tunnel, I am almost human again. I think my windows are infected but I do not like getting lectures from doctors that "we never do that procedure any more" and I do not want to take anything other than my occasional tylenol. At any rate, I have no excuse for the empty fridge any more. It looks and feels like spring outside. Our bulbs are even blooming. Are you sure the groundhog saw his shadow?

I peeked at some of the Super Bowl commercials online this afternoon. It took forever so there must be a lot of other people checking them out. None of them made me laugh out loud the way the Dr.Pepper commercial featuring this song did last week.

Tissues crammed in a leaky nostril may not be pretty but it seems practical when you feel like crud. Even with the schools closed, people are still dropping like flies in East TN. I smell a conspiracy and so does Lili. Where's Oliver Stone when you need him?

Everyone in the family is sick or just getting over sickness. No two patients seemed to have the same symptoms but the end result is that we need a HazMat crew to come over and disinfect the house before we all catch it again. Doug has declared that Noah should have been named Chuck as that is definitely his specialty. Molly is really enjoying eating the wadded up tissues. Last night Doug locked her upstairs so she wouldn't pounce on me ("Let's play!") while I laid in bed and shivered so bad I thought I was having a seizure. She punished me by eating the leather cover on my day planner. Thank goodness Doug is recovering (except for the cough that makes him sound like a pack-a-day smoker) and the girls were well enough to spend last night at the grandparents.

I would be very appreciative if the makers of Legos, K-nex, Bionicles and those teeny tiny Playmobile miniatures would magnetize their toys. It would make clean-up much easier. While you're making things more useful, a sippy cup with a lid that toddlers can't remove would be really helpful. As I've said before, I still want some sort of revolving front door that allows children to race in and out of the house all day long without the sound of constantly slamming doors.

Political Soapbox Time: TN Lottery and Pre-K WHY are our legislators opposing helping our young children in favor of giving money to college students who will probably leave the state for jobs? When TN politicians were selling the public on the benefits of having a state lottery, they repeatedly used the words "like Georgia's lottery". I lived in Atlanta for two years and the lottery proceeds allow every 4-year-old to attend pre-K (NOT the same as daycare) free of charge. Sarah attended a pre-K program there and she is the best student in this family. I was very disappointed when TN decided their lottery profits would be spent on college scholarships before they were spent on pre-K programs. Students who attend colleges frequently leave the state for employment after they graduate. Pre-K students are going to attend our school systems and if we give them the skills to succeed in school, we are helping our students perform better in school, score higher on standardized tests and bring more federal funding into the schools. Better students and more money in the schools means more teachers stay in TN. Better schools and students mean more businesses in TN and THEN college students have a reason to stay here after they graduate. I was part of a large group who campaigned hard to get pre-K funded on the first round and we were assured by legislators that pre-K would be added at the beginning of the second year. They should have started with pre-K and then added the college scholarships. Now TCCY, concerned parents and other groups must fight again to try and get Tennesseans to put children first. Please e-mail TN legislators and tell them we DO need a pre-K program in TN. There is an informational website about the pre-K plan. You can get e-mail addresses for TN Senators and Representatives at this site. Write them today!

How stupid is the bird that flies into a window covered with toddler handprints and dog noseprints?

School's out but my two morning children (and Molly) were wide awake and ready to play at 6 a.m. this morning. Sarah dragged out of bed at 8 like a sane person. Tommy will sleep until lunch. Doug's gone for his last day of the Oak Ridge contract. Except for a cough and a whine he seems fine. All the children are rowdy today but I am still transportationless so it'll end up being a DVD marathon and cookie baking day. It's not very easy to choose a movie that they all agree on watching. I'm sure Sky Captain will be on at some point. I still say that every other child out of school today will be roaming the town (and spreading germs) while their parents are sick at work. Tomorrow is supposed to be a Girl Scout meeting but ethically I think we should cancel. If I cancel I'll end up driving all over town collecting their cookie order forms and as I already established, I have no car. I would think so much clearer if I could just have some caffeine.

No school Friday or Monday because of flu-like illnesses in the school system.

I don't even want to know how they do it, but why do all the men (and boys) in our family leave their socks and undies inside their jeans/pants? The clothing masses are then left beside the bed or shoved under it. What's the rush?!? All the females take the time to undress one item at a time and even the 2-year-old tries to put the dirty laundry where it belongs. Why won't the guys?

The high school just called asking me to get Tommy. He has a cough but no fever or other symptoms. I know what they are doing. They were at 12 percent absences yesterday and if they get to 15 percent the schools will close tomorrow. Doug stumbled out of bed and left the house 30 minutes ago so now he has to drive all the way back from Oak Ridge to get Tommy then turn around and go back to work. Maybe I could talk the school into sending Tommy home in a taxi cab.

Dear Doug, If you are going to insist that I tell you what the numbers were on the scale at my checkup Monday, at least try to have a poker face when I tell you the answer. Love, Cathy

The Knox County school employees are begging the school administration to close schools because of all the sickness. No decisions yet from the head honchos. I think closing schools is pointless because the teens without symptoms will be all over the mall spreading their dormant germs. The solution is a 48 hour shut-down of the whole town. Close all the businesses, restaurants, everything. Let everyone stay home for 48 hours and if they are symptom free after 48 hours they can venture out.

Doug has a cold, so he won't be out of the bed for several days except for occasional wandering upstairs for Gatorade and growling. He likes to sleep until all the yucky stuff is over.

Our squirrels like to steal the grease can out from under the grill. Someday they'll get it all the way up the big tree out front. Do all squirrels behave this way or is this just another example of Southerners' bad eating habits?

I really like using Instant Messenging, but lately I find myself having to turn it off. I'll be typing something or reading my e-mail when the little box pops up. "Can Sarah talk?" "Sorry, she's not here. I'll have her call you when she gets home." "Awwwwww." You would think it's over, but for the next 10-30 minutes I'll have little smilie faces, balloons and deliberately misspelled messages popping up every few seconds. It's not just one of her friends that does this either. It's most of them. Part of me finds it funny but when I'm trying to get something done it is just too distracting. If it looks like I'm offline, I'm probably just hiding. You know I NEVER turn off my computer.

Have you ordered YOUR Girl Scout cookies yet? 

No matter how much you think you want it, don't eat the green banana. Yuck!

This is my boring meta-post about blogging which I give as a peace offering despite my desire to lash back at my attackers. After it has been said I want to go back to cartoons, song lyrics, personal stories and family pictures. Before I stopped working when my youngest child was born, I had a job in the social work field. One of the things I did most often was public speaking about my life. I talked about the good and the bad of having a special-needs child. I discussed openly the effects it had on my first marriage and how it has changed me as a person. I answered very personal questions with honesty and bluntness. It was this approach that I took to blogging. Our life is neither a funny sitcom nor a tragic soap opera. We are real people doing the best we can while living life to the fullest. I love my family and I would not change any person in it one little bit. I do not expect all my comments to be sugary pat-on-the-backs. I know that my fellow bloggers will step up and give me a verbal kick in the pants whenever I am wallowing in self-pity instead of appreciating how good things really are in my world. I appreciate a good discussion. I have had some bad and some very strange things happen in my life, but I am not a bad person. I have never deliberately tried to hurt anyone. In the past I have refrained from censorship, including sp*m. I allowed the ads and nonsense comments intended only to redirect people to commercials and adult material to stay in my comments. From this point forward I will remove comments that are threats as well as personal harassment comments. I will not be deleting them, just removing them from public view. "To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts expressed. That can make life a garden." Goethe